Spain’s established bank, Bankinter, has ventured into the cryptocurrency industry by acquiring a minority stake in the crypto exchange Bit2Me, marking a significant step in the European financial realm. This investment was made as part of a 30 million euro funding round completed in August 2025, which also included the participation of Tether. Based in Madrid, Bit2Me distinguishes itself with the MiCA registration, allowing it to operate across the European Union, thereby strengthening its objective to bridge traditional banking and cryptocurrency infrastructures. This development exemplifies a shift in the banking sector’s approach toward cryptocurrency—moving from competition to collaboration.
Framework of the Bankinter–Bit2Me Partnership
Bankinter’s announcement emphasized the goal of creating synergies focused on distributed ledger technology through this investment. While details on share percentages and financial terms remain undisclosed, the agreement bolstered Bit2Me’s capital structure and offered corporate support for its compliant growth strategy. Bankinter opted to collaborate with a licensed and regulated infrastructure provider rather than entering the crypto market directly.
The investment round has further diversified Bit2Me’s already strong investor base, which includes entities like BBVA, Unicaja, and Cecabank. This scenario illustrates how Spanish banks are approaching the cryptocurrency market with a controlled, partnership-based strategy.
Bit2Me’s CFO, Pablo Casadío, described the Bankinter investment as indicative of banks’ preference for integration over competition. According to Casadío, banks aim to swiftly develop their products and services by leveraging external technical expertise in the cryptocurrency sector.
MiCA, Corporate Infrastructure, and Regional Expansion
Bit2Me ranks among the first companies to register under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. This status enables the company to operate with a single license across Europe, significantly reducing compliance risks for banks. The company positions itself more as a B2B gateway serving banks and financial institutions rather than individual investors.
Over the past 18 months, Bit2Me’s integration with traditional finance has markedly accelerated. The firm provides back-end crypto services for Garanti BBVA in Turkey and, in collaboration with Cecabank, has established a joint platform covering custody and trading infrastructure. These strategic moves are seen as concrete indicators of Bit2Me’s ambition for compliant growth in markets such as Latin America and Turkey.
In July 2024, Bit2Me secured an investment exceeding 5% through Unicaja Ventures and included a bank representative on its board, further solidifying its corporate legitimacy. From a European banking perspective, this scenario suggests a preference for partnering with licensed technology providers rather than entering the crypto markets as direct competitors.
